Goodwill marks 20 years of the Good Neighbor Program

Michelle Donner (far right) leading ‘The Art of Memories – Create a Book’ class at a Goodwill Manasota Community Room

SARASOTA/BRADENTON, FL – Just a little over 20 years ago, Goodwill Manasota launched the Good Neighbor program to provide community meeting places, free of charge. The program was designed to meet specific needs of each community and the residents who lived there.

Goodwill has expanded the program over the years to offer classes and seminars through strategic alliances between Goodwill and other organizations and businesses. Today, Goodwill Manasota’s community rooms, located in Goodwill’s primary retail centers throughout the region, host numerous free, instructor-led classes on a variety of topics, providing a place where local residents can enrich their lives through educational, cultural and social activities.

“Our Good Neighbor Program is the foundation on which a community can grow,” said Goodwill Manasota president and CEO Bob Rosinsky. “By providing comfortable spaces and offering free educational, cultural and social activities designed to meet the needs of our local residents, we are helping to create a stronger, safer, more vibrant and better connected community.”

The Good Neighbor program currently has a full schedule of classes to suit a broad section of the community, including the recent launch of a series of educational seminars led by local business professionals. These seminars will be comprised of three- or four-part courses focused on a particular topic of interest, including wellness, safety, employment, small business, finance and housing.

Classes are taught by volunteer instructors, who live and work right in our community. Volunteers with particular skills or interests are encouraged to contact Goodwill with course ideas. Courses are scheduled on an ongoing basis or on individual dates, depending on the topic and/or level of interest.

For more information on class schedules or to inquire about volunteering or teaching a class, visit experiencegoodwill.org/neighborhoodclasses or call (941) 355-2721, ext. 165.

About Goodwill Manasota
Goodwill Manasota is an industry-leading, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization that changes lives through the power of work. With the sales of donated goods and philanthropic donations, Goodwill is able to assist people with disabilities and other barriers to employment by providing job skills training and employment opportunities. In 2015, Goodwill Manasota served 22,739 people, placed 961 people in jobs and assisted 358 veterans as they reintegrated back into the civilian workforce. Goodwill Manasota’s economic impact back to the community is worth $81.3 million. Goodwill is one of the pioneers of the reduce-reuse-recycle movement and this past year diverted 41 million pounds out of the landfill. We accomplish our mission through a network of Good Neighbor Centers in Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties and our Mission Development Services (MDS) around North America. Goodwill Manasota is accountable to a local Board of Directors. Goodwill Manasota, in essence, belongs to this community and is not owned by any individual or company. For more information, visit www.experiencegoodwill.org.